This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to theories and research concerning abnormal behavior (psychopathology). The course will address such topics as the incidence (frequency) of abnormal behavior of various types; how abnormal behaviors are classified into various diagnostic categories; the etiologies (causes) of psychological disorders; and the variety of methods employed in the treatment of abnormal behavior.

Policies

Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents:

• University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Please print a copy of this syllabus for handy reference.

Whenever there is a question about the assignments, please remember this syllabus is considered the ruling document, and that the topics for the week may be different from those posted under the University’s Materials link.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...Case Study in Abnormal Behavior
Research supports both arguments in nature vs. nurture. Biological factors are considered while the child is still in the womb, such as stressors and hormone levels. Genetic factors also play a role in determining if an individual will commit a criminal act, and diagnosing the person with Anti Social Personality Disorder (ASPD) (Meyers, 2006). Another factor that is considered is the environment in which a person grows up in (nurture). For example, a child experiencing abuse, punishment, depression and anxiety all combined with social and biological factors are explanations developing serial killers.
In Jeffrey Dahmer’s case there seems to be a number of influences that motivated his actions, such as; socially, nurture and biological explanations.
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer, murdered seventeen men from 1978 to 1991, the murders he committed involved, necrophilia, dismemberment, rape, cannibalism (Meyer, 2006). As a child Dahmer had low self-esteem and an introverted personality, he also demonstrated unusual behavior, for example, he would collect dead animals and pour acid on them. As a teenager he began abusing alcohol, and by age eighteen his parents had divorced. Soon after, Dahmer killed his first victim, a hitchhiker, Stephen Hicks-by blunt trauma to the head (Bardsley, 2008).
Over the years, Dahmer made an attempt to be a part of society, by attending the Ohio State University, but dropped out after a...

...Defining Abnormality
Lizbeth Escobar, Tandy Noonan, Charlie Fritz, Holly Keeling, and Velinda Chandler
PSY/410
March 18, 2012
Melda Jones
Defining Abnormality
Psychologist, for years have given their theory on normal and abnormal behavior, but all the studies they have done seems to give more evidence to prove what make each individual do what they do and why. In the normal and abnormal behavior we use all research and take all of its studies into consideration and apply it to why such behaviors have occurred.
Reading this paper you can see that there are many experiments that challenge the theory of behavior no matter if it’s normal or abnormal. We will clarify some of the challeges as we define and classify both normal and abnormal behavior when we look at the challenges in Culture, gender and sexual preferences/practices and religion.
Cultural normal and abnormal behaviors
Culture is a challenge to abnormal behavior because these behaviors establish through socio-cultural traditions. The sociocultural perspective explains that abnormal behaviors are a result of family influences and social forces. Similar to the behavioral perspective, socio-cultural theorists believe mental disorders are learned behaviors. They tend to focus on social class, gender, and ethnicity in the explanation of mental disorders. An understanding of one’s sociocultural forces is also...

...PSY/410
Analyzing Disorders
08/01/12
Eating, substance abuse, sex, gender, sexual, and personality disorders are among the group of disorders that affect many in society. Unfortunately, it is harder to diagnose some disorders, however with symptoms being early detected it is easier to diagnose these disorders. Disorders initiate from an origin. Biological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components exist; these factors develop according to daily living and exposure to various environments. Explanation through analyzing the components and statistics gives a better understanding and reasoning behind unwanted behaviors and the numbers of people who these disorders affects will be explained further in this paper.
When it comes to eating disorders and the biological components involved in this would be obviously genetic and hormonal but Hansell and Damour also said that neurotransmitter abnormalities, and brain abnormalities association with the disorders play a role in the biological aspects on eating disorders. Also substance abuse, the biological components studied through research focuses on the role genetics plays in substance abuse (Hansell &amp; Damour, 2008). Sexual dysfunctions viewed from the biological aspect can occur from medical illnesses. The medication prescribed for various medical illness such as diabetes and heart disease, contributes as a biological component (Hansell &amp; Damour, 2008),unlike, the biological...

...
Cognitive Psychology Definition Paper
Introduction Cognitive Psychology/PSY360
Cognitive Psychology Definition Paper
Cognitive psychology is the study of mental processes surrounding learning, memory, perception, and thought. Though it is still a relatively new formal branch of psychology, its roots extend back to Descartes who sought a way to explain how the mind worked, proposing the analogy of a “hydraulic system of nerve function” (Willingham, 2007, p. 26) after he observed animated statues in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It has been the restless pursuit of not only the idea of how the mind works but also what exactly constituted the mind that eventually led to the foundations of cognitive theory. As psychologists examined how mental processes produced behavior, it was evident a different approach would be needed.
Cognitive psychology developed primarily from the inability of the behaviorist approach to fully explain every form of behavior. While there were many things that drove its development, there were four main milestones in the development of cognitive psychology: the inadequacies of behaviorism, the information processing model and computer metaphor, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience. Each of these four milestones contributed significantly to the search for a better model and the development of the cognitive approach, which we have today.
Behaviorism had many shortfalls with its primary one being that it excluded the effect of genetics entirely....

...﻿PSY 480 Complete Class
Elements of Clinical Psychology
Click This Link to Get Complete Class:
http://www.myhomeworkspot.com/PSY-480-Elements-of-Clinical-Psychology-Complete-Class-075.htm?categoryId=-1
PSY 480 Week 1 Clinical Psychology Paper
Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you examine clinical psychology.
Address the following items:
Discuss the history and evolving nature of clinical psychology.
Explain the role of research and statistics in clinical psychology.
Discuss the differences between clinical psychology and other mental health professions, including social work, psychiatry, and school psychology.
Include a minimum of two sources from peer-reviewed publications.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.
Discussion Questions
How does research affect clinical practice? Is all research equally trustworthy? Explain your answer.
What are some of your biases about mental health? How do you think you formed these biases?
Week 2 Discussion Questions
Can effective therapy happen without administering psychological testing? Explain why or why not. Under what circumstances is testing useful?
In what ways does culture influence psychological testing?
PSY 480 Week 3 Psychological Testing Article
Individual Assignment: Psychological Testing Article Analysis
Resources: Electronic Reserve Readings, the University Library, or other resources
Locate an article concerning the use of psychological...

...Running head: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology
Virginia Baccellia
PSY/410
9/27/2012
Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology
There is no definition of abnormal psychological which has approval by the psychological social groups. Although, knowing of ones abnormal mindset is essential in assessing personal behaviors in determining what is intended (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Abnormal social content is often looked upon as personal behavior opposing to social normality. This structure is essential in analizing the abnormal mindset and focus to accurately filter conduct presented whether unusual or usual. This paper will determine the start of what presents abnormal mindset and how the developement is originated for use scientifically. Lastly, the paper will inspect the psychodynamic, humanistic and existential, behavioral, cognitive, sociocultural, family support and biological theoretical areas important to the strength of abnormal psychology.
Origins of Abnormal Psychology
The development of abnormal mindset can be transcribed for thousands of years. To this date, people have evolved in specified cases of undesired conduct. Historically, unusual conduct is seen as biological, psychological outcomes seen also as supernatural factors (Hansell &...

...American, and other sources. Theodule-Armand Ribot (1839-1916) was among the first to communicate to French colleagues the new psychological research going on in Germany and England. He is also the most likely candidate to be considered the founder of the field of abnormal psychology” (Routh, 2010).
“The importance of context in defining and understanding abnormality is the continuum between normal and abnormal behavior, cultural and historical relativism in defining and classifying abnormality, the advantages and limitations of diagnosis, the principle of multiple causality, and the connection between mind and body” (Hansell & Damour, 2008). “Five Commonly Used Criteria for Defining Abnormality also known as (Acronym: HIDES) are Help seeking, Irrationality/Dangerousness, Deviance, Emotional distress, and Significant impairment” (Hansell & Damour, 2008).
The brain regulates and controls the physical and psychological functions of the human beings. Many psychological disorders are directly related to chemical and hormonal imbalances. “Freud’s psychodynamic theory is predominantly based on case histories of patients who displayed abnormal behavior. Freud was totally right: most forms of abnormal behavior originate in childhood” (Muris, 2006).
Psychosocial
The four zones that represented the psychosocial model detachment, decline and denial, maximizing coping, and distress. Erikson developed the psychosocial theory that has the main element of ego identity...